Jzsanette Cullen of Globe, Arizona, never expected her first marathon—the 2024 Mesa Marathon—to qualify her for the prestigious Boston Marathon. But on a chilly, rainy February 10, she clocked an impressive 3:13:55, surpassing the 3:25 qualifying standard for her age group (30–35). Though she had run competitively since grade school and competed at the collegiate level at UC Riverside, Cullen had never planned to run a full 26.2 miles. That changed after her older brother ran Boston in 2022.